Tuesday, May 29, 2012

A Night to Remember

Yesterday I was reminded of why we are "boring" people who never go out and do anything if it conflicts with Elois'se nap or bedtime.


But, I'm getting ahead of myself....  Let me start at the beginning.

Yesterday morning, I was up at 4AM.  As desperately as I tried for 2 hours, I could NOT get back to sleep.  This mama was tired! 

The day started out normal otherwise... Cory coming down and being greeted by a puking cat (yes, this is a common occurrence in our house as of late)... Eloise getting up at her normal 6AM and drinking her milk, playing, eating breakfast... Cory off to work... etc. etc.

As the morning went on, Eloise and I decided to read some books in the recliner.  For the first 15 months of her life, we were always on the floor with her.  Lately, I have been encouraging her to climb up on the furniture to sit with me and read.  She likes this and we often will choose a stack of books to peruse while sitting in the rocker.  So as we were reading and rocking, I noticed that her head felt unusually warm.  We paused for a brief intermission as I took her temperature (gotta love those ear thermometers!) and it was 100.3.  Not real high for a kid, but higher than the norm. 

So throughout the day, I continued to monitor her and take her temp, which gradually rose.  At it's highest, it was at 102.7.  We gave her some Infant Tylenol and that seemed to help off and on... we gave her a cool bath... which didn't seem to help.  In fact, afterward, Cory looked it up online and it said NOT to give a cool bath as it can cause shivers and actually make the temp go UP!  (UGH!)  She did like having a cool wash cloth on her head throughout most of the day... so we kept that up!  In the evening, we decided to get her ready for bed a little earlier than normal.  Before we put her PJ's on... we took her temp and it was 103.6!  Cory had read that for anything more than 103, you should take your child to the doctor or ER.  Of course, it was a Holiday Weekend and we had no other option than to take her to the ER at 7:15PM. 


Off we went and had a rather long wait.  Eloise curled up in my lap and started to fall asleep.  Her head burning against my arm.  The TV was on a nickelodeon channel and though we didn't want to watch the show... it was hard not to.  I am telling you... what garbage there is on TV!  I should've taken a book to read - but alas, that was the last thing on my mind.

We eventually got called back and went through the motions of getting El's weight and blood pressure checked... only to be led to a curtained room where we spent the rest of our night. 

The nurse guy came in and I swear he said his name was "Lull".  I was so perplexed by this... but realized later, after sneaking peek at his name tag, that it was actually "Lyle".  haha  The doctor looked at Eloise and determined that it wasn't her ears or anything he could tell outwardly... and called for blood and urine tests and a chest xray.  So, the next few hours were filled with waiting... and crying (for El)... tests... eavesdropping... shivers (the AC was freezing!!) and also some laughs!

The tests were a bit traumatic.  Watching your 16 month old give blood, with a rubber thing tight around her arm... tears streaming down her cheeks and into her ears.  Not a fun time.  Also not fun to watch her have to get a catheter and essentially be "invaded" - though we know it was for her best to find out if anything was wrong!  The xray was something I was not allowed to be a part of, but Cory said it is something he will remember forever... and I don't believe I want to hear the blood curdling scream she belted out EVER again!

However, for the "laughs" part... I have to admit, we kept our "room" curtain partially open so that we could observe ER goings-on.  People coming and going.  The stories we heard from passersby gave us some chuckles!  But the funniest thing was when a little boy, probably around 4 yrs old, was on his way past with a couple of adults.  They were leaving and a nurse had just given him a Popsicle for apparently being such a good sport.  Eloise was waving to him "bye bye" through the gap in the curtain and as he approached, he thrust his Popsicle triumphantly into the air and proclaimed: "I feel better!  I finally pooped out my mouth!!"  We were absolutely in shock by this - and needless to say, Cory and I cracked up as did the adults with the boy.  You could hear them murmuring their embarrassment as they walked quickly past and rushed him along!  I am not sure what the story was there... and I don't believe I care to know!  haha

 Anyway, a little before 11PM, Eloise was discharged with clear tests and xray.  They said that they believe she has a bit of an upper respiratory infection and advised us to continue with Motrin to keep the fever down and if things persist, to make an appointment with her regular doctor. 

I had tried to take a picture at the hospital with my cell phone but, of course, I failed to charge my battery and my phone died as I was snapping the pic!


We were never so glad to get home and settled.  Though on the way into the house, I encountered the biggest spider EVER on the sidewalk.  It was so big, I thought it was a tuft of grass from the lawn mower!  I made Cory go back out and kill it and we agreed that it was the biggest one we'd ever seen in real life.  Gave me the heebie jeebies!!  And of course, we were greeted by more cat puke (I'm afraid we may have to put poor Weezer outside in the near future as this keeps up).  And about an hour after Eloise went to sleep, she awakened, screaming for us.  Being over 3 hours off schedule, I am not surprised... but luckily, she went back down quickly and slept in until 7:30AM. 

Her temperature has gone down today, though it's still a bit above normal.  We are keeping our eye on her!  We hope to not have to make any more trips to the ER in the near future!!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

It's #3 for us!

Anniversary that is... 
Come on now, people...
 We're only on baby #2! 
 And it's definitely NOT twins!  
haha!


It's hard to imagine that it's only been 3 years.  
It seems like a lifetime!  
If you would like to see the slide show I made 
of our wedding pictures... you can visit this post!

Happy Anniversary, Cory!  
I love you!

Monday, May 21, 2012

Eloise's nap time has turned into Mommy's nap time... and blogging has become a low priority.  

We spend our days playing, reading and... me, I am trying to stay sane between the exhaustion and heartburn I've been battling!  



I am so thankful that the weather has been nice and that we have been able to keep some windows and doors open during the day!  It makes us seem less "cooped up" when we are inside!

We've been feeding this little guy lately.  
(Although he probably won't be little for long at the rate he goes through food!)


Eloise discovered him running around one of our trees one day... and Cory couldn't help himself.  He went out and bought a bird feeder and hung it where Eloise could watch from the window.  I think we are enjoying watching the squirrel and birds just as much as she is!  AND!  There is this giant black squirrel hanging around that I am just waiting to snap a pic of!  He is HUGE!!

Last week, I had to take the cat to the vet.
It is a rather long story... a bit comical too... but I just can't sit here long enough to type it out!  Let's just say, it involved the cat getting loose in my car... and, well, cat poop.
Not fun.

Luckily my sister had a carrier I could borrow for the drive home!


Weezer was NOT amused by all of the havoc we caused her in getting her to and from the vet (I'm sure she wasn't thrilled with being at the vet either!)... and Cory and I were not amused at the almost $200 bill... with no diagnosis of Weezer's issues.  Needless to say - we won't be going back to that vet anytime soon!

I'm off to get the mail and then catch a snooze before Eloise wakes up!  
Happy Monday!!

 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Rice, Rice Baby!

Well, if you've stuck with me through my lack 
of blogging this past week or so... 
I will now attempt to explain myself. 

Although there really isn't much explaining to do.

This pretty much says it all:


Um.  Yeah.  
Surprise is an understatement.
We weren't expecting this AT ALL.
I think it's still kind of sinking in!!

I think it's kind of odd that my doc called for
an ultrasound so early... but everything looks good
from the blown up pictures we were looking at on the ultra sound machine.

The arrow in the picture is pointing to the head.
The baby is about the size of a grain of rice right now!
(Hence, my post title... I'm a nerd, I know)
Hard to believe such a small little life could create such chaos 
in mama's body!  Though if I only suffer with nausea
the whole time, I will be THRILLED!

I must tell you a little funny story though 
from my appointment yesterday.

I had to have 8 vials of blood taken after my ultrasound.
Different tests and such.
Cory was in the waiting room.

I went in and told the nurse that I didn't like needles...
but "they don't make me pass out or anything".

(hahaha... can you see where this is going??)

After she sucked me dry of blood, I started getting woozy.
She gave me some orange juice to sip... 
but I could feel myself slowly slipping away. 
She kept talking to me and then next thing I knew, 
there were four people around me in case I were to fall out of the chair.  But I swear I felt awake the whole time.  It was so weird!  I heard myself say, "I didn't know I had an audience."
(Where did that come from?  haha)
I was still kind of out-of-it... and they called in Cory.

I finally was able to walk to another room to lay down and Cory
sat beside me.  He told me that he thought I was taking an
awfully long time... and all of a sudden he hears this
alarm thing going off.  He kept thinking... "that can't be her"...
and a few minutes later they came out to get him.
We joked about it - but in all honesty, it really freaked him out.
(Understandably!)
So we hung out in that little room until I felt good enough to
walk out to the car.  

I was horribly embarrassed.
I even commented to the nurse that 8 vials of blood was a lot!
Then she told me that a little boy just got 5 taken and had just bee-bopped out of the place!  
She also said that one time she took 32 vials at once! 
 So glad THAT wasn't me!

And so glad that is all over with!!!

So... this little girl is going to be a big sister!


And we are hoping that means... BIG HELPER! :)

You know I'll keep you posted!

Monday, May 14, 2012

For My Friend...


I have a friend who lives back in my hometown.  
Since I got married and moved, we've kept up via snail mail... which has been a lot of fun!  
She has a couple of kids and has so graciously given me 
hand-me-downs for Eloise over the past year.... 
so to show her my appreciation, 
I made her daughter a pair of soft-sole shoes.

I think they turned out really cute... and she loves them!
They are a Toddler size 8, which is the biggest size I've sewn.
Oddly enough, it was a little more challenging 
than sewing the smaller ones!
I am hoping they hold up well, 
considering the fact that older kids 
are a little more rambunctious and wear things 
out more quickly!
We'll see!

I hope you'll stop by tomorrow... 
I have a really special post to share!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

More to Come....

I know I've been M.I.A. for almost a week.... 
but I have good reason. 

I have been super swamped and have been catching up on a 
few projects that I've been procrastinating on (among other things)!  

Plus, I haven't made time to upload any new photos, really... 
so I don't have a lot to share!  

I made a super sweet pair of shoes for a friends 
daughter that I need to get a picture of to post.  
I think you'll like them!  

In the meantime, here is Eloise's current fascination:

She loves to climb in and out of laundry baskets.  
She wants toys piled in with her... 
and she'll just sit and play.
It's pretty cute... 
and kind of convenient for me when I am working 
on things around the house!  
I know she isn't getting into trouble!  haha!

I promise... there is more to come in the very near future!  
Lots more!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

A Bittersweet Good-Bye

When I was pregnant, I remember that I couldn't wait to get that baby in my arms!  Of course I wanted to enjoy my pregnancy, but I am sure many of you who have had children can relate that it's not always the most pleasant of experiences.  I was lucky enough not to be plagued by morning sickness (or all-day sickness as some have dealt with).  I mostly had nausea and heartburn.  And of course, achey back, joints, etc.  But over all... I didn't have it very bad!  I'm sure at the time, I thought it was horrible, but looking back... it wasn't unbearable in the least!  The whole while, I had visions of sweet parenthood.  Rocking my sweet baby to sleep, nursing and singing lullabies.  All of the "dreamy" expectations you have as a first time parent.  Little did I know how wrong I was!!  Don't get me wrong, I had those wonderful moments... and continue to from time to time (as it is becoming more rare the older Eloise gets)... but I didn't take into consideration the exhaustion, frustration and lack of free time (which I was quite used to) that one tiny person could cause!  Ahh, the joys of parenthood!  No one can prepare you for the twists and turns--though it is more than worth it!

I had two main goals in mind as I was going through my pregnancy.  First would be to deliver all-natural.  No pain meds.  I heard horror story after horror story about women who just HAD to have the medicine.  It seems like everyone comes out of the woodwork with their stories when they find out you're expecting!  (I'm one of those people now.. haha!  Watch out new mamas!)  I had decided from the get-go that I would only have meds if there was a medical emergency.  I don't care if I was passing out from the pain (which I literally did at one point)... I wanted to do it and experience it ALL.

(I hold no harsh feelings toward anyone who did/does use meds---these were just my own personal goals!)

Second was to breast feed.  What better way to bond with your child and provide them optimum nutrition?  I was adamant about the hospital not giving Eloise a bottle (formula or water) and was determined to do my best.  If you have followed along my blog for any length of time (especially since I had El)... you would know that I had such a hard time.  We had so many problems... I can't even begin to list them all.  I was literally in tears for the first 3 months of her life... while nursing and while not nursing... because just the thought of nursing stressed me out... and I was also in pain all of the time as well.  It was a nightmare.  I mean a TRUE LIFE NIGHTMARE!  Many times I wanted to just give up... but with the support of a wonderful Lactation Consultant and my husband, I got through it DAY by DAY.  It was the only way.  And when I really thought about it, despite all of the pain I was going through, I knew it was best for Eloise to keep on trying.  (Again, I am not knocking on anyone who didn't/doesn't nurse... I am just stating my own experience and opinion).  Eloise took a bottle for a few days off and on (I pumped - no formula) just to give me a break... but other than those few occasions, she was strictly breast fed.  And to my amazement... it got so much better and easier.  I found that as she got bigger, I could have my hands free to read a book, talk on the phone, write or surf channels on the TV.  It became a very appreciated down-time for me.  Of course, it was still kind of a pain when we were out in public and had to go to the car to nurse or something... but the majority of the time we were at home.  I wouldn't trade those moments for the world.  And yesterday was the first time Eloise didn't nurse at all.  We had whittled it down to only nursing before bed.  And since we were starting a new month... I figured it was as good a time as any to start fresh.  To my surprise, Eloise took it like a champ!  We by-passed any mention of it (she calls it "Num Num"), we sat in a different chair than our normal "spot", and we read, sang and she drank a bit of milk from a sippy cup.  There was no begging or crying... no gnashing of teeth, as I was expecting.  We did have a hard time getting her to brush her teeth, but we didn't push it since the routine wasn't quite the same.  She said her "night nights" and went to sleep.  I was truly surprised.  And I was even more surprised that she slept through the night without getting up and asking for it!  (That was never really a norm for her... but I guess I just expected something to go wrong).  So... a chapter in our lives has closed.  I admit that I cried over it last night - which is why I didn't post about it until today.  I think I'm a little more torn up about it than Eloise!  But more than just the change of down time/cuddle time... it makes me sad to think that she is growing up so fast.  I know it doesn't go any slower or faster than it would for anyone else - but it feels like time is just slipping through my fingers.  So today, I thank God for my sweet girl... and that He gave me the ability and patience to nurse her though the first 15 months of her life.  
What a beautiful gift.
  

Mission accomplished!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Motivation, Where Are YOU?

I tried to exercise today.

I really did.

I had this idea in my head that I would Bee-Bop to my  
(rather dusty) dance DVD and Eloise would be there right
along side me dancing away.

That lasted about 30 seconds for both of us,
Eloise mainly watching me try to get my groove on.

Then I'm pretty sure I hit the Stop Button, 
walked into the kitchen and ate a piece of dark chocolate.

Maybe I'll try another day.